Improvement in apparatus for distilling spirits of turpentine



D. REID. I Turpentine Still.

Patented May 25,1858;

Nv PETERS, Phulo-Lilhcgmphnr. wanhinglon. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING SPIRITS OF TURPENTINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20.371, dated May 25, 1858.

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL REID, of \Vashington, in the county of Beaufort and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Distillation of Spirits of Turpentine, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan of the apparatus employed in carrying out my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are central vertical sections of the same, taken at right angles to each other.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

B is a still or retort, made withits bottom of concave form internally, and with a cock, E, or its equivalent, at the center or lowest part, through which, when open, the rosin or residuum of distillation may all escape by gravitation, thus obviating all difficulty of cleaning out the still. This retort is surrounded by a steam-jacket, A, and contains a coil of steam-pipe, I, both of which may be supplied with steam from a boiler near or at any reasonable distance from the still, for the purpose of effecting the distilling operation without the direct exposure of any portion of the still to a fire, thereby preventing the scorching and consequent discoloration of the rosin, enabling the still to be made of lighter metal, (thus reducing its 00st,) and yet, withal, increasing its durability and reducing the risk of fire in carrying on the process.

L is the pipe from the steam-boiler, supplying the steam jacket and coil with steam, the former by a branch pipe, M,fitted with a cock, M, and the latter by a branch pipe, I, fitted with a cock, I.

T is a short pipe passing from the bottom of the coil I through the retort and steam-jacket, and furnished with a cock to let off the water of condensation from the coil I.

F is a cock for letting off the water of condensation from the steanrjacket.

O is a box or chamber in which the crude turpentine is melted and strained andv partially distilled before being admittedto the retort by the agency 01" the steam which escapes from the jacket A and coil I, said box being placed above the retort B, and having a con cave or inclined bottom, at the lowest point of which it is connected with the retort bya pipe and cock, D. This box 0 is of sufficient size and proper form to receivea desirable number of barrels of the crude turpentine, and contains a grating, 0', upon which the barrels (Z d (afterhaving each one of their heads knocked out) are placed with their open ends downward, so that the turpentine may run out as fast as it melts. Below the grating O are two or more strainers, a and b, for straining the melted turpentine as it runs or drops from the barrels. The cover of the box 0 is made movable, and fitted to the box in such a manner that it can be luted tight, and is intended to be secured by a strong brace or stanchion placed between it and the roof or ceiling of the factory, or in some other very secure manner. The box 0 is supplied with steam by a pipe, H, which branches from the upper part of a pipe, G, which constitutes an escape-pipe to the steam-jacket A. This pipe G alsohas connected with it the escape-pipe I from the coil I, so that the whole of the steam escaping both from the jacket and coil can be conveyed to the box 0; but the escape-pipe I" is furnished with a cock, I", by which it may be closed when steam is not used in the coil I, as may sometimes be the case. From the upper part of box 0 there is a pipe, S, leading to the goose-neck N of the retort. The steam escap ing into the box 0 heats it and melts the turpentine from the barrels, and causes it to run through the strainers a b to the bottom of the box, and the turpentine is thus melted and strained before being introduced into the retort, the bark, chips, &c., being retained by the strainers. A partial distillation is also efiected in the box 0, the spirit resulting from this distillation escaping by the pipe S into the goose-neck IT, by which it is conveyed to the condenser. I K is a pipe, with the lower part full of per forations, leading from the escape-pipe 1* of the coil directly into the turpentine, for the purpose of supplying numerous jets of steam to produce agitation of the turpentine and assist in expelling the spirits. I

K is a cock in said pipe, to shut it ofi. Besides this pipe, provision may be made for the introduction of water into the turpentine.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The barrels of crude turpentine having been unheaded on a platform suitably arranged near the steam-box C, the cover of said box is hoisted up out ofthe way, and as many barrels as the said box will hold are placed therein upon the grating (l with the open ends downward. The cover of the steam-box O is then replaced with a proper luting and secured to the box. The cocks M, I, and I are then opened, and those K, D, T, F, and E closed, and the steam passes through the jacket A and coil I, and into the box 0, heating up the re tort at the same time that it melts the turpentine, and causes it torun from the barrels, and through the strainers a 1), into the lower part of the box, while a portion of the spirit is vaporized and escapes by pipe S to the goose-neck N, and thence through an ordinary condenser to a proper receiver. After all the turpentine has been thoroughly melted, which will be in a short time, the cooks M" I are shut, to shut off the steam, while the cock D is opened for the melted turpentine to run from the box 0 into the retort, and While this is taking place the cover of the box 0 should be taken off, and after the empty barrels have been removed the strainers are taken out to remove the dross from them and re placed. A new lot of full barrels (which-have been unheaded while the last charge of turpentine was being melted and strained) are then put into the box 0 in the same manner as the first ones, after which the cover of the box 0 is replaced, and, as the melted turpentine will by this time have all run into the retort, the cock D is then closed. There is now a charge in the retort and another in the steambox 0, and on opening the cocks M and I and shutting I the distillation of thefirst charge proceeds in the retort at the same time as the melting, straining, and partial distillation of the second charge proceeds in the box 0, by the aid of the steam escaping from the jacket by the pipes G H into said box. The steam from the coil I is in the meantime allowed to escape by pipe K into and through the charge of turpentine in the retort till the said charge is so far worked off as to require no more water, when the cock K may be closed and I 7 opened, so that the whole of the steam may pass into the box G to finish the melting and straining of, and also to effect a further work ing off of, the spirit from the charge in the said box, while the rosin in the still is being properly cooked. As soon as this latter object is effected,which may be known by samples taken from the cock E, the latter cock is to be opened to let the rosin run into the bins prepared for it, and when it is all discharged the cock E should be closed, and all the steamcocks closed also, and D opened, to let the melted and strained charge run from the box 0, which is to be recharged, as before; and in this way the operation is made continuous for any length of time, with the exception of four or five minutes" delay while charging the box 0 and drawing off the rosin, one charge being melted and strained and partially distilled in C, while the distillation of its predecessor goes on in the retort.

By the use of the above-described apparatus in the manner as specified the difficulty of removing the crude turpentine from the barrels is overcome, and all waste of spirits and consist of a smaller coil within the coil-of the principal condenser of the still, the distilling operation in my apparatus may be made per fectly continuous, for while the rosin is being drawn off the steanrbox 0 would be at work, and while the box was being charged the retort would be at work; and, further, the dis tiller would know when the still was what is termed off.

I do not claim the melting and straining of the crude turpentine before its introduction to the retort; but I What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' The employment, in connection with the still, of a steam-box, O, constructed with strainers a b, and of such form and capacity as to receive the barrels of crude turpentine, all substantially as and for tlie purposes herein described.

DANIEL REID.

Witnesses:

J. VANDERVEER, J AS. L. FoWLE. 

